Highland storyteller Ray Owens stands guard in front of Culloden House near Inverness. With the rise of the Canadian dollar, theres deals to be had when travelling to Scotland. (Alan Parker/QMI Agency)

The Scots have a long standing reputation for being thrifty. So when the new head of Scotland’s tourist board says there has never been a better time to save money on a visit to that country, we can take it as gospel.

With its wealth of attractions — castles, festivals, historic cities, golf courses, whisky trails, and more — Scotland has always been “perceived as a high quality destination,” says Mike Cantlay, chairman of VisitScotland. Now, “with the Canadian dollar at a 10-year high against the pound sterling, it’s also a high value destination.”

And the strength of our dollar — $1 buys £0.64, substantially more than in July 2008 when $1 was worth £0.49 — coupled with the recession has created a “perfect storm” for Canadians who visit Scotland this year, Cantlay says.

“There are some fantastic deals.”

Those planning a trip will find deep discounts on accommodation plus new packages and passes. These include:

— Rooms from $29 at Travelodges across Scotland. See travelodge.co.uk.

n Half-price Fridays and Sundays at Hotel du Vin in Glasgow and Edinburgh, which offers rooms from $38 to guests who spend $115 in the bistro. For details, see hotelduvin.com.

— Sunday room rates from $15 for guests who dine in the brasserie at Malmaison boutique hotels in Edinburgh and Glasgow. See malmaison.com.

— An Art Lovers Escape from $199 per person for two nights’ accommodation at Town House Collection properties in Edinburgh. See townhousecompany.com.

— One nights’ accommodation and breakfast from $96 per person at historic Culloden House in Inverness, the headquarters for Bonnie Prince Charlie before the Battle of Culloden. See cullodenhouse.co.uk.

— Up to 50% off fares on Caledonian MacBrayne ferries, which sail to 24 destinations on Scotland’s West Coast. See calmac.co.uk.

— A three-day Citylink Explorer bus pass for $54. See citylink.co.uk

— Up to 75% off Scotrail fares when booking in advance, and special discounts for travellers 55 and older. See scotrail.co.uk.

— Value-priced fly-drive packages from Royal Scottish Tours, including a new Heritage Scotland option. See royalscottishtours.com.

— Well-priced golf getaways from Ultimate Golf Vacations. See ultimategolf.ca.

— A variety of discount passes, including the Edinburgh Pass (entry to more than 30 attractions, free bus transportation between the airport and city centre, etc., see edinburgh.org/pass), the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Trail Ticket (admission to Mackintosh properties in Glasgow, free public transit, see crmsociety.com/trailticket) and Regional Golf Passes for buying rounds in bundles for selected golf courses, see visitscotland.com/golf.

robin.robinson@sunmedia.ca